The Way Things Are
by MilaHarper
Summary: Luke, one-shot AU. "He could create conspiracy theories all damn day, but deep down, he knew this was classic Liz."


A/N: One-shot. R&R.

"You sure you don't want me to go?"

Liz looked back her brother. "Nah, don't worry about it. Jimmy and I can go." Jimmy silently shifted his weight, one hand already on the doorknob.

Luke looked back and forth between the two of him. "Look Liz, I...", he trailed off as he gestured with his head over to the kitchen table.

Liz tossed her head back and laughed awkwardly as she pulled on her coat. "Are you that scared to be left alone with him? He's just a baby. He's not going to do anything."

"I am _not_ afraid of him." Luke responded. He glanced over Jess, sleeping soundly in his portable car seat.

"You'll be fine. He's asleep. We're just going to go get some diapers, we'll be back before you know it." There was a strange wavering to Liz's voice, but Luke barely noticed as he stared nervously at his nephew.

"Well, what if he wakes up? What the hell am I supposed to do then?"

"You'll figure out, bro," Liz embraced him. "You're my hero, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Luke looked down at his sister. Her judgment wasn't always the best, but he couldn't help but smile at her sweetness. "I better be after being in that delivery room with you."

Liz laughed and playfully hit his shoulder, but her voice was heartfelt. "I'm serious."

"Hey Lizzie, we should go, you know, before the store closes." Jimmy said, hand still resting on the doorknob.

"It's three in the afternoon, Jimbo. You've got some time." Luke glared over him. He had made no secret of his contempt for Jimmy, but out of respect for Liz, tried to mask it as best as he could. Besides, the guy was family, no matter how much Luke hated to admit that he was related to the Hot Dog King. He kept glaring at him as he helped usher Liz out the door into the hallway, closing the door as he said, "Go out and get some Pampers for the kid." Jimmy was already headed down the stairs as Liz stopped in her tracks and looked back at her brother in shock.

"You know a brand name?"

"I know things, all right? Just get out of here." He managed to conceal the giveaway grin.

Liz smiled back reluctantly. "You'll be fine."

"As long as he stays asleep. Hurry back."

Her smile faded. He doesn't deserve this, she thought. The guilt was already welling up instead her, and she hadn't even left the building. This wasn't the same scenario as a few years ago, when she ditched Stars Hollow and didn't look back. She opened her mouth, but just as she was forming the words, Jimmy called out from downstairs, "Lizzie! Let's go!"

"Go on," Luke nodded to her, "Wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

Liz mustered up a tight-lipped smile, then kissed her brother on the cheek. "Thank you", she said, avoiding his eyes. She started down the stairs, tossing one last look over her shoulder before the tears started to form. _He'll be better off with Luke_, she thought, trying to appease her conscience.

Crazy Liz, thought Luke as he watched her descend the staircase. She'd been in a weird mood all day. Hormones, he thought. Not that he really knew what that meant, but that's the excuse Liz used when he had to make her chili-topped ice cream in the middle of the night last week.

He closed the door to the apartment carefully, eyes on the still sleeping Jess. He tiptoed over to the kitchen, fully aware of how ridiculous he must have looked, wincing every time the floorboard creaked. He sized up his nephew warily, like enemies on the playground.

"You don't scare me," he said. "I'm pretty sure you're only sleeping right now out of boredom, cause what else can you do without basic motor skills, right? I mean, up until about twenty-four hours ago, you were still swimming around in my sister's womb, as much as I really didn't need to have that mental image. If anything, you should be scared of me. Yeah, that's right. 'Cause you're pretty dependent on me until your mom gets back from the store. So if you need something, try to hold off."

Luke realized that he was talking to a sleeping infant. "One minute in, and I'm already talking to myself", he muttered. He went over to sit in his chair, nearly tripping over something on the floor. Crazy Liz, he thought. She and Jimmy had breezed into town two weeks ago and infiltrated his apartment like sawdust. His bitterness had gradually dissolved, built up over the years since Liz's departure from Stars Hollow. Dad had been sick, the store was failing, and Liz hightailed it out of the town the minute she had her diploma in her hands. Then she showed up, no phone call, no nothing, with that idiot in tow. "Surprise!" she said when he opened the door, holding out her left hand while the other clutched her stomach. He let her in, listening to her chatter about how she hated the dirty, crowded hospitals in New York, and how she wanted to have the kid at home. His sister drove him crazy sometimes, but he had to admit, he had missed her. He had every reason in the world to slam the door in her face, but he couldn't. It was family.

So he had spent the last two weeks appeasing Liz's bizarre cravings and tripping over the growing mountain of newly purchased baby supplies. He didn't know how the hell they were going to get all that junk back to New York. Luke cursed under his breath and looked down to see what had caused his latest near stumble.

A brand new package of Pampers. That's how I knew the brand name, Luke thought. I knew I didn't pull that out of my ass.

Then it hits him.

_So, you know, before the store closes._ Luke had just written it off as dumb ass Jimmy, clueless about everything from fatherhood to business hours. Bastard couldn't even muster up an emotion after his kid was born. Hell, he wasn't even in the room. "I'm no good with blood," he stiffly told Luke, handing him the scrubs. "You gotta do it."

So Luke did. He wasn't the biggest fan of blood either, not to mention hospitals, but this was his sister. It was family.

_You'll be fine._ The look on her face. It wasn't the hormones, Luke thought. It was goddamn Liz. Business as usual. He had been rightly confused when she said she wanted to have the baby at home. He should have been tipped off right then. Liz hated Stars Hollow.

Maybe it was Jimmy's idea, he thought. Who knows, Mr. Hot Dog King could be a damn mastermind beneath that silent moron exterior. It could be a whole song and dance routine. The bastard could have left his spawn in the care of distant relatives or unsuspecting strangers all over the country for all Luke knew.

He could create conspiracy theories all damn day, but deep down, he knew this was classic Liz. He thought she had changed. He thought things were different. He thought maybe this was her way of apologizing for the way she left.

"Goddamnit", he said, kicking the diapers across the floor.

Jess began to stir. Luke had momentarily forgot about his nephew, too engrossed in his revelation, but that first whimper jerked him back into reality.

He quickly crossed to the table. Jess had opened his eyes and his face started to contort. Luke bit his lip and cringed. "Don't start crying, don't start crying, don't start crying, dear God, don't start crying," he whispered under his breath. Jess yawned and closed his eyes again, drifting back to sleep. Luke heaved a sigh of relief and sunk down into one of the kitchen chairs. He had managed to avoid it for now, but he knew next time he might not be so lucky. Next time the kid might start crying. He might actually have to pick him up.

Luke took a deep breath. He'd figure it out. He had to. It was family.


End file.
